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𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮: 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓲𝓽 𝓐𝓵𝓵
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"Thanks, Lance!!" Rapunzel's cheery voice happily calls, waving to Lance as we hop out of the carriage.
Lance smiles. "Anytime, princess." He nods. His eyes slowly make their way to Varian, and Lance offers the boy a reassuring grin. "Good luck, little man."
Varian returns the gesture with a weak smile. "T-Thanks." He softly replies.
Lance snaps the reins of the carriage he had used to take us to Old Corona and takes off down the dusty road that was plagued with black rocks.
As I look at my Varian, I can still see the guilt that haunted the alchemist. It breaks my heart.
Varian's blue eyes examine what is left of Old Corona, and his face becomes pale. Tears come to his eyes as he gazed at the infamous black rocks that had pierced through the rubble of what used to be cottages. The homes are empty; everyone has already fled from the town. He scans the barren wasteland.
This is the first time that he had been home since...the battle.
The black rocks are just as prevalent as before, and anything that dared to stand in their path was destroyed. What used to be the home of so many, including Varian, was destroyed. It was all gone. Even the trees and flowers that once decorated the small town had ceased to grow.
Varian notices the massive automaton that he had built, and after gazing at it for a long moment, he begins to weep. The automaton is now covered in rust and moss from the elements thanks to not being used for a couple of years; it still looks as ominous as ever. Varian eventually collapses to his knees as he stares at the monster he had created. Tears stream down his freckled cheeks. I know that these tears are all too common for the young alchemist. I can't help but feel myself breaking just from seeing how broken the boy is.
I offer my hand to Varian, and he slowly takes it. His eyes never stray from the automaton. "You're not that person anymore." I softly say.
Rapunzel approaches us and kneels beside Varian. "We all forgive you, Varian."
Varian's lips curl into a small smile. "Thank you, guys." He says as he wipes the tears from his eyes.
I never remove my hand from Varian's. "Let's go free your father."
Varian nods in agreement, and I help him to his feet. The three of us slowly approach Varian's old lab/home, and Varian hesitates as his free hand lingers on the doorknob. I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. The young alchemist gently opens the door to his former home, taking a deep breath as he did so. He's shaking like a leaf as we walk inside; I can practically see the guilt and worry oozing from his pores. It didn't take a genius to tell how hard this visit is for him.
As we enter the room where Quirin was still sealed away in the amber, chills run down my spine. I hadn't been here in so long; all of it felt surreal. Rapunzel approaches the amber and begins wrapping her long hair around it. "Can you two go and get a pail of water from the well?" She gently asks, snapping us from our daze.
"Y-Yeah." Varian stutters, swiftly exiting the room.
I quickly follow after him, calling his name. Varian ignores me and keeps running toward the well. When he finally reaches it, he slumps down beside it and buries his head in his hands. "Varian!" I pant, finally catching up to him. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"I-I...I can't do this, (yn)." Varian worriedly speaks, running his hand through his black hair. One of his fingers gets caught in his goggles, and he slowly removes them from his head. Varian's blue eyes examine the bronze goggles; still bearing the scratches and dents that had accumulated through their years of use. "My mother..." He pauses for a moment, as though he was trying to find the words.
I gently place my hand on his shoulder; Varian had never spoken to me of his mother before. The only knowledge I had of her was from Quirin. He told me that she passed away from illness when Varian was very young. Apparently, she died because a blizzard had come when she fell ill, and Quirin couldn't get to a doctor in time. "Var...you don't have to tell me anything. I know that you don't like to talk about...her..."
Varian shakes his head. "N-No...it's okay." He takes a deep breath. "When momma gave me these goggles, she told me: 'Varian, I know that you'll do amazing things. You'll make the world a better place, and improve the lives of so many people. Even though I won't be with you much longer...'" Varian stops to wipe the tears from his eyes. His voice breaks. "'I-I love you so much, and I'm....I'm so proud of you.'" Tears stream down Varian's cheeks. "She believed in me...and how do I prove myself to her? I destroy her home and screw up so bad that I get her husband trapped in amber. If she saw me now, she...she would be so disappointed. Even if we do free my father, that doesn't make up for all the pain I've caused. He's going to hate me. I'm not ready to face him."
Without saying anything, I wrap my arms around Varian and pull him into a tight embrace. As I tightly hug him, I attempt to send as much love to Varian through the action as I can. "Varian, he could never hate you. You're his son, and he loves you so so much. I don't think he or your mother could ever be disappointed in you. If anything, I think they'd be proud of you. Sure, you've made mistakes, but what matters is that you've tried to fix them. You've grown so much since the battle. Despite everything that's happened, you're still the same, kind, smart, and lovable Varian I met all those years ago, and I couldn't be prouder of you."
The boy hugs me back for a few moments longer before he slowly looks at me. I gently cup his face in my hands and wipe away his tears with my thumb. It breaks my heart to see him so upset. Varian gives me the faintest hint of a smile. "Thank you, Angel. Thank you so much."
A small rosy glow spreads across my cheeks. I rise to my feet and hold a hand out to him. Varian takes it, and I pull him up. "Are you ready?" I softly ask.
Varian lowers the pail into the well. "I'm ready as I'll ever be."
:-:-:-:-:
Varian tightly grasps my hand as we watch Rapunzel wrap the last of her hair around the amber that encased Quirin. I glance over to the boy and stare at his worried blue eyes. He notices me staring, and we both quickly look away, feeling our cheeks becoming warm.
"What if it doesn't work?" Varian softly asks, looking down at his black boots.
I take a deep breath. "Then we'll stand by your side until we find a way to free him. You aren't alone."
Varian gives me a grateful smile and I instantly know how much my words mean to him.
Rapunzel begins to walk towards us, holding the pail of water between her hands. "Once I start this incantation, I won't be able to stop it." She begins. "And it could seriously harm you, (yn), and your father, so I'm trusting you to snap me out of it once your father is free." She nervously explains, placing her hands on Varian's shoulders after placing the pail in his hands.
The boy stares at the water a moment, before meeting my sister's gaze. "You can trust me, Rapunzel." He grins at her.
"Be careful, sis," I speak.
Rapunzel nods and takes a couple of steps away from us, her bare feet tapping against the stone floor. Her hands pick up a chunk of her golden hair, and she clutches it tightly. "Wither and decay. End this destiny." She begins chanting. I gasp when I notice her hair quickly turning a deep shade of black as she recites the incantation. "Break these earthly chains and set the spirit free." Her arms go limp and she drops her hair. Her eyes open, revealing her scleras, irises, and pupils to be pitch black.
Varian watches the amber intently waiting for something to happen when his jaw suddenly drops. The amber was melting. "It's working..." He mutters, completely overcome with shock.
Varian and I look at each other in pure disbelief. "It's working!!" We exclaim in unison.
Rapunzel's chanting begins to morph into an eerie singing. It isn't like the sweet upbeat songs that usually come from her lips, it sounds haunted...almost like she's possessed by some great evil.
"Whiter and decay...
End this destiny...
Break these earthly chains...
And set the spirit free...
The spirit free..."
Varian begins rushing over to his father but stops in his tracks when he remembers Rapunzel. He tosses the pail of water onto my sister, but it simply evaporates once it hits her. Varian and dart over to Rapunzel. "Rapunzel! Wake up!!" I plead, desperateness flooding my voice.
"Wake up!" Varian cries, grabbing onto her shoulders. He quickly recoils his arms when he hears a sizzling noise coming from his gloves. Suddenly, his black gloves disintegrate from his hands. "Rapunzel! Snap out of it!" He begs.
"Varian!!" I exclaim, taking his hands in my own out of worry for the boy. "Are you okay?!"
He nods. "I'm fine, but we need to wake up Rapunzel! If she doesn't snap out of it soon, who knows what will happen!?" His eyes fill with worry and his face darkens. "I don't want you to get hurt, (yn)."
A blush begins to creep across my cheeks and I quickly shake my head. Not the time, (Yn)! I mentally scold myself. I turn my attention back to my sister. "Rapunzel? Rapunzel!"
Varian's hand reaches for her as though he wanted to offer he a comforting hand, but he keeps his hand just far enough away so that he can't get hurt. It was like an invisible force kept them separated. "You didn't give up on me...I'm not giving up on you." He speaks.
Suddenly, Rapunzel gasps and her hair and eyes turn back to normal. Rapunzel collapses to her knees and takes a couple of slow breaths. She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she stares at Varian and me with her emerald green irises. Varian and I tackle her into a hug once we see that she is alright, and we all beam from ear to ear.
"Thank you..." Varian genuinely says before he runs faster than the wind to meet his father once again. "Dad! Dad! You're alive!!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around his father. I hear him sniffle for a moment, soaking up every second of his reunion with his father.
Quirin smiles down at Varian, his wrinkles curving upward. "Oh, son..."
Varian suddenly notices the note Quirin had addressed to him, being dissolved by the now liquid amber. "Dad, the note! Well, wha-what did it say!? I need to know!"
Quirin cups Varian's cheek in his large hand. "All it said was: 'I'm so proud of you, Varian. I always have been.'"
Varian beams and embraces his father again. "I love you, Dad." He mumbles into Quirin's fur vest.
"I love you too, son."
Rapunzel and I smile and the sight, and I wrap my arm around her. "Thank you, Raps."
"You're welcome."
As I watch Varian achieve what he had spent his whole life working for, I feel nothing but joy for him.
Hey guys!
Welcome back to Forget-Me-Not! I'm so excited for you guys to read part three because I have a lot planned for you! (This part is also going to be extra-long😉). Anywho, updates are every Wednesday!
Also, thank you guys so much for coming back, and thank you for getting this book to 20k reads! You guys are amazing!